The present invention relates to a method of producing a metal component interacting by way of a sliding surface with a friction partner for a drive assembly, particularly an internal-combustion engine. The component is formed of an at least eutectic aluminum silicon alloy for achieving a wear-resistant sliding surface.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,016, for example, a vane cell compressor is known, in which components having sliding surfaces acted upon by friction are formed of an aluminum silicon alloy. The silicon content is selected in percentages by weight between 12-20% as a function of the respective friction partner.
Further, a compressor is known from European Patent Document EP 0 508 426 B1 which has a stationary worm and a rotating worm. One of the worms is formed from a hypereutectic aluminum silicon alloy which, in addition to copper and magnesium alloy fractions, comprises additional alloy elements from Group IIIa, Group IVa, as well as Group Va, in order to achieve, in addition to a high resistance to wear, also a high stability of the component.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an Al-Si alloy which is reasonable in cost with respect to stability and high resistance to wear and which also makes it possible to increase the stability and resistance to wear of the sliding surface qualitatively by means of a mechanical aftertreatment.
For achieving this object, an aluminum-silicon-copper-magnesium alloy is used with, in each case, a weight-related alloy fraction of 12-15% Si, 2.5-3.5% Cu and 0.4-0.8% Mg. The particle size for the silicon is between 4 xcexcm and 30 xcexcm. The sliding surface of the component in the firm condition is compressed by calibrating.
The alloy according to the present invention represents a selection of a material of the desired stability and of a relatively high resistance to wear. The resistance to wear is increased by the subsequent calibrating of the respective sliding surface of the component by a compacted embedding of the silicon particles. As a further development of the present invention, an AlSiCuMg alloy with Si=14%, Cu=3% and Mg=0.6% is preferred as a sintered material for constructing the component. The particle size of silicon in the sliding surface amounts to approximately 8 to 20 xcexcm.
According to another manufacturing method, the component may be produced from an Al-Si alloy according to the present invention by cutting.